Gravitational waves could help us detect alien warp drive ships

[UM-Bot]

If someone out there is using a Star Trek-style warp drive, there may be a way for us to detect it from here on Earth.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/380892/gravitational-waves-could-help-us-detect-alien-warp-drive-ships

[Hazzard]

 

Jerry Goldsmiths score is awesome. 💥

[MrAnderson]

27 minutes ago, UM-Bot said:

If someone out there is using a Star Trek-style warp drive, there may be a way for us to detect it from here on Earth.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/380892/gravitational-waves-could-help-us-detect-alien-warp-drive-ships

Warp drive will in theory distort spacetime and produce gravitational waves which in turn can be detected using tools that we already have such a the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory). These types of waves are not something new and are just perturbations of the Minskowski spacetime.

[Trelane]

"...will in theory..." 

Such exquisite hopefulness. Lots of hurdles to to clear to crack this problem. I personally think we are at least centuries off from possibly cracking this problem.

[Hazzard]

Im putting warp drive in the same file as some of the other scify inventions that most likely will never see the light of day... like time machine and teleportation.

Suspended animation or Cryo sleep migh be a reality in the near future though?

 

Edited September 17 by Hazzard

[MrAnderson]

16 hours ago, Hazzard said:

Im putting warp drive in the same file as some of the other scify inventions that most likely will never see the light of day... like time machine and teleportation.

Suspended animation or Cryo sleep migh be a reality in the near future though?

 

See the proposed Alcuberrie warp drive

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive

 

[MrAnderson]

16 hours ago, Trelane said:

"...will in theory..." 

Such exquisite hopefulness. Lots of hurdles to to clear to crack this problem. I personally think we are at least centuries off from possibly cracking this problem.

Maybe otr maybe not. See how the world looked like at the end of the 19th century. Around see how much we evolved technologically in 125 years since then.

[MrAnderson]

16 hours ago, Hazzard said:

Im putting warp drive in the same file as some of the other scify inventions that most likely will never see the light of day... like time machine and teleportation.

Suspended animation or Cryo sleep migh be a reality in the near future though?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation

 

Experimental determinations^[4][5] of quantum teleportation have been made in information content – including photons, atoms, electrons, and superconducting circuits – as well as distance, with 1,400 km (870 mi) being the longest distance of successful teleportation by Jian-Wei Pan's team using the Micius satellite for space-based quantum teleportation.^[6

[Hazzard]

5 hours ago, MrAnderson said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation

 

Experimental determinations^[4][5] of quantum teleportation have been made in information content – including photons, atoms, electrons, and superconducting circuits – as well as distance, with 1,400 km (870 mi) being the longest distance of successful teleportation by Jian-Wei Pan's team using the Micius satellite for space-based quantum teleportation.^[6

Maybe I should have been more specific, knowing that you are here (!)... but I was (of course) talking about teleporting humans.

[Trelane]

1 hour ago, Hazzard said:

Maybe I should have been more specific, knowing that you are here (!)... but I was (of course) talking about teleporting humans.

He's the 2024 Champion of "Yeah but..."

[Hazzard]

10 minutes ago, Trelane said:

He's the 2024 Champion of "Yeah but..."

Tedious little b0gger trying his best to sound like he knows what the hell he is talking about. 😄

Edited September 18 by Hazzard

[MrAnderson]

11 hours ago, Hazzard said:

Maybe I should have been more specific, knowing that you are here (!)... but I was (of course) talking about teleporting humans.

One step at a time. If you think that's impossible because your mind says so then that's not a good argument based entirely on what is achievable and what it isn't in physics or in science and engineering in general.

@Earl.Of.Trumps

[MrAnderson]

https://www.space.com/warp-drive-possibilities-positive-energy

'Warp drives' may actually be possible someday, new study suggests

Quote

A new study provides some theoretical underpinning to warp drives, suggesting that the superfast propulsion tech may not forever elude humanity

 

[Hazzard]

18 hours ago, MrAnderson said:

One step at a time. If you think that's impossible because your mind says so then that's not a good argument based entirely on what is achievable and what it isn't in physics or in science and engineering in general.

@Earl.Of.Trumps

Three disciplines you know very little about. 

[MrAnderson]

1 hour ago, Hazzard said:

Three disciplines you know very little about. 

You are entitled to your opinion.  Now read the article I have linked above.

[Hazzard]

51 minutes ago, MrAnderson said:

  Now read the article I have linked above.

Nah Im good.

[Grey Area]

It is entirely plausible that we could monitor space for gravitational waves caused by a warp drive.

But we know that measuring gravitational waves requires significant calibration to filter out all the other gravitational waves we aren’t looking for.

How will we know what a gravitational wave from a warp drive looks like?  It would be a bit like finding a stone dropped in a lake during a hail storm.

 

[MrAnderson]

1 hour ago, Grey Area said:

It is entirely plausible that we could monitor space for gravitational waves caused by a warp drive.

But we know that measuring gravitational waves requires significant calibration to filter out all the other gravitational waves we aren’t looking for.

How will we know what a gravitational wave from a warp drive looks like?  It would be a bit like finding a stone dropped in a lake during a hail storm.

 

There is a difference between objects that cause gravitational waves such as black holes, neutron stars, or a binary black hole system, and gravitational waves caused by a warp drive. In the latter case the signal will be of high frequency and for short period of time. So all we need is detectors that can detect these high frequency signals.

[Grey Area]

6 hours ago, MrAnderson said:

There is a difference between objects that cause gravitational waves such as black holes, neutron stars, or a binary black hole system, and gravitational waves caused by a warp drive. In the latter case the signal will be of high frequency and for short period of time. So all we need is detectors that can detect these high frequency signals.

Not sure quite how you know that is what a warp drive ‘signal’ would look like?

I would probably suggest we would be better off looking for the EM signatures of a power source capable of powering a warp drive.

[MrAnderson]

53 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

Not sure quite how you know that is what a warp drive ‘signal’ would look like?

I would probably suggest we would be better off looking for the EM signatures of a power source capable of powering a wrap drive

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/se/new-study-simulates-gravitational-waves-from-failing-warp-drive.html#:~:text=The collapsing warp drive generates,hole and neutron star mergers.

The results are fascinating. The collapsing warp drive generates a distinct burst of gravitational waves, a ripple in spacetime that could be detectable by gravitational wave detectors that normally target black hole and neutron star mergers.

Unlike the chirps from merging astrophysical objects, this signal would be a short, high-frequency burst, and so current detectors wouldn't pick it up. However, future higher-frequency.

instruments might, and although no such instruments have yet been funded, the technology to build them exists. This raises the possibility of using these signals to search for evidence of warp drive technology, even if we can't build it ourselves.

[Ell]

I detected a warp drive ship the other day. It happened suddenly. I was strolling along the canal in broad daylight, it must have been approximately 15:38 hours, when I walked my face into an invisible wall. That hurt! My forehead hurt, my nose hurt, my cheekbone hurt. Terrible hurt.  I cried out: "Ouch!"

I reached out and touched the thing I had collided with. It was an invisible wall. I must have looked like a mime; it was a good thing nobody saw me fooling around with that invisible wall.

Then I heard that voice, a deep voice. "I am sorry, very much sorry," said the voice. Standing next to me was a tall gentleman with long legs, long arms and a tall hat. He had a monocle in his left eye socket. "I forgot to make my vessel intangible. I do apologize."

It turned out that I had walked into his spaceship Blue Kangaroo. His own name was Blub. He told me that he was traveling and that he had parked Blue Kangaroo where I had collided with it to recharge the dimensional propulsion unit in its pouch. It had something to do with teats, I gathered when I asked about that pouch. I did not quite understand his explanation, unfortunately. I tried to equal his information, though. "Ah, Blue Kangaroo uses a DPU, you say," I replied wisely. "I have always been interested in such warp drives. What energy source powers it?" I enquired.

Instead of answering me he started to explain in a convoluted way that Blue Kangaroo's DPU was not a warp drive as neither space nor time can be folded, but I dismissed his obvious lies and insisted that he answer my question, which he had not answered, slyly, as I determined. "I know a warp drive ship when I see one," I said, even though I never saw Blue Kangaroo nor its pouch - a folded space of course - it being invisible. "Why do you not answer my question? What kind of energy is supplied to Blue Kangaroo's DPU?"

Blub became upset, his monocle fell down, he clenched the rim of his hat, he muttered something vicious about warp delusions. Then he disappeared and the invisble wall of Blue Kangaroo disappeared as well. Either it had gone or Blub had indeed turned Blue Kangaroo intangible.

I had nothing! Nothing to show for it but a sore face. Not even an autograph.

I looked at my watch. It was 15:38 hours and it must have been 15:38 hours for some time, for a couple of minutes later it still was 15:38 hours.

At the watch maker's we discovered that the battery cell was lacking. I realized then what powered Blue Kangaroo's warp drive. Blub had pickpocketed my watch's battery cell! I never had suspected that from a gentleman like him - even though his fingers consisted of a dozen slippery slithering tentacles.

So that is how one may detect an invisible but tangible warp drive ship: simply walk until you walk into one - but keep your arm stretched out in front of you; otherwise you may inadvertently bruise your face.

If you do detect Blue Kangaroo, say hi for me to Blub and pretty please ask for my battery cell back. Ignore his obvious lies about human warp delusions. DPU, pff; what else can Blue Kangaroo be but a warp drive ship? And keep your hand on your wallet and watch.

Edited September 20 by Ell

[Grey Area]

11 hours ago, MrAnderson said:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/se/new-study-simulates-gravitational-waves-from-failing-warp-drive.html#:~:text=The collapsing warp drive generates,hole and neutron star mergers.

The results are fascinating. The collapsing warp drive generates a distinct burst of gravitational waves, a ripple in spacetime that could be detectable by gravitational wave detectors that normally target black hole and neutron star mergers.

Unlike the chirps from merging astrophysical objects, this signal would be a short, high-frequency burst, and so current detectors wouldn't pick it up. However, future higher-frequency.

instruments might, and although no such instruments have yet been funded, the technology to build them exists. This raises the possibility of using these signals to search for evidence of warp drive technology, even if we can't build it ourselves.

Yeah, and my original question still stands, How do know what a warp signature looks like?  A question backed up by the very article you are quoting:

Quote

 

Dr Khan cautions “In our study, the initial shape of the spacetime is the warp bubble described by Alcubierre. While we were able to demonstrate that an observable signal could in principle be found by future detectors, given the speculative nature of the work this isn’t sufficient to drive instrument development.”

 

[Trelane]

🍿😎

[MrAnderson]

1 hour ago, Grey Area said:

Yeah, and my original question still stands, How do know what a warp signature looks like?  A question backed up by the very article you are quoting:

 

A warp drive will create gravitational waves that can be detected and these will be different from the gravitational waves produced by astrophysical objects in terms of the frequency of the signal and its duration. That's how you will be able to differentiate them. That's what I said when you asked me.

 

It says in the article that I have linked

"Unlike the chirps from merging astrophysical objects, this signal would be a short, high-frequency burst, and so current detectors wouldn't pick it up. However, future higher-frequency instruments might, and although no such instruments have yet been funded, the technology to build them exists. This raises the possibility of using these signals to search for evidence of warp drive technology, even if we can't build it ourselves.

[Grey Area]

53 minutes ago, MrAnderson said:

A warp drive will create gravitational waves that can be detected and these will be different from the gravitational waves produced by astrophysical objects in terms of the frequency of the signal and its duration. That's how you will be able to differentiate them. That's what I said when you asked me.

 

It says in the article that I have linked

"Unlike the chirps from merging astrophysical objects, this signal would be a short, high-frequency burst, and so current detectors wouldn't pick it up. However, future higher-frequency instruments might, and although no such instruments have yet been funded, the technology to build them exists. This raises the possibility of using these signals to search for evidence of warp drive technology, even if we can't build it ourselves.

And this is what you do when you can’t address the issue, you repeat yourself.

We had a conversation before about the detection of gravitational waves.  A detector is capable of picking up all kinds of gravitational waves.  Space, having lots of mass racing around that all affects spacetime, these all need to be filtered in order to detect the correct wave.  Thus, you need to know what you are looking for.

Right now what we are looking for is a hypothetical effect we don’t know is possible, and if it is possible likely consumes more energy than the output of the Milky Way galaxy.  This is why I say it’s more plausible to be scanning the deep dark for energy signatures.

Again I quote the article you yourself are quoting:

Quote

given the speculative nature of the work this isn’t sufficient to drive instrument development.